The invention relates to intravascular stents and methods for manufacturing intravascular stents. In particular, the intravascular stent have a hybrid pattern and may be formed from an elongated ribbon having portions etched and cut therefrom.
Various types of intravascular stents have been used in recent years. An intravascular stent generally refers to a device used for the support of living tissue during the healing phase, including the support of internal structures. Intravascular stents, or stents, placed intraluminally, as by use of a catheter device, have been demonstrated to be highly efficacious in initially restoring patency to sites of vascular occlusion. Intravascular stents, or stents, may be of the balloon-expandable type, such as those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,733,665; 5,102,417; or 5,195,984, which are distributed by Johnson & Johnson Interventional Systems, of Warren, N.J., as the Palmaz™ and the Palmaz-Schatz™ balloon-expandable stents or balloon expandable stents of other manufacturers, as are known in the art. Other types of intravascular stents are known as self-expanding stents, such as Nitinol coil stents or self-expanding stents made of stainless steel wire formed into a zigzag tubular configuration.
Prior art stents have some functional limitations due to their current design. For example, the prior art stent can collapse when it is bent around a sharp angle. What is needed is an improved stent that is more flexible and can be implanted in tightly bent vessels.
The method of manufacturing hybrid pattern intravascular stents from thin ribbons of material provides advantages over known methods by reducing the cost of base materials (as compared to tubular materials), improves consistency and verification of wall thicknesses, and provides improved access to the surfaces that comprise the inner diameter of a stent, for imparting grooves or other patterns thereupon, prior to forming the stent.